But for those looking for the quick way past this subject….a short video

Onward!

Most of the Papers were written by Madison and Hamilton under pen names……but how does their thoughts from 200 years ago stand up today?

First, Hamilton’s thoughts……

Conservatives have controlled our government for three definable periods in recent history—the Gilded Age of the last three decades of the 1800s (progressives followed from 1901 to 1920), the Roaring 20s (progressives followed from 1933 to 1980), and the Reagan Era that started in 1981 and continues to this day.

James Madison traveledto Philadelphia in 1787 with Athens on his mind. He had spent the year before the Constitutional Convention reading two trunkfuls of books on the history of failed democracies, sent to him from Paris by Thomas Jefferson. Madison was determined, in drafting the Constitution, to avoid the fate of those “ancient and modern confederacies,” which he believed had succumbed to rule by demagogues and mobs.

Madison’s reading convinced him that direct democracies—such as the assembly in Athens, where 6,000 citizens were required for a quorum—unleashed populist passions that overcame the cool, deliberative reason prized above all by Enlightenment thinkers. “In all very numerous assemblies, of whatever characters composed, passion never fails to wrest the sceptre from reason,” he argued in TheFederalist Papers, the essays he wrote (along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay) to build support for the ratification of the Constitution. “Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.”

Some fascinating reading the two “Papers”…..if you like politics then I suggest that you use the links that I provided and get to know the process that brought about this republic…….a republic that is in deep trouble.

Every Americans should have to study the Constitution and what it took to get this republic up and running……as it is today there are very few that know what the “Papers” were all about……political discourse something that is lacking in today’s world.

Related

Post navigation

7 thoughts on “Founding Fathers And Today”

Pretty big homework assignment. I may not get throug all that today, but will start working on it.

The viewpoints I am familiar with approach the split from a different prospective; that of the split between those who are think the congress has the right to pass laws to provide for the general welfare, the Hamilton view, vs. those who hung congress is limited to the powers enumerated , the Hefferson/ Madison view.

Using that a approach the federalists are now the democrats who want and active federal government that can pass laws to solve problems, such as providing student loans, health care, welfare, disability, social security and Medicare.

The republicans are the strict constructionists, the Jefferson, Madison, southern groups who don’t think the congress should be allowed to do anything other than establish an army, a navy, call out the militia and establish a court system limited only to protecting property rights. Meaning their property rights.

The anti-federalists won in 1800, 1828, 1980 and 2016.

The federalists won in 1860, 1932, and 2008.

Both Roosevelt’s were federalists in that they both greatly expanded the role of the federal government and congress to pass laws to solve problems and provide for the general welfare under the taxing clause.

Did not indend to go into all this but I got started and could not stop typing. Brake pedal was a a state of suspended malfunction.

Federalists oppose Kavanaugh. Anti-federalists support Kavanaugh.

The revolution against England was also illegal, as was the constitutional convention which created our present constitution.

It is good to see others insights…..I gave the links and the vid in case visitors actually wanted to learn something……the discourse was amazing back in the day too bad it is lacking in today’s political scene……..chuq

To be honest,, I will not be ploughing through all this. My foreigner’s take on US politics is that little changes, whoever is in power. It just seems to get a little more out of control every time. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.